Lewiston is a former factory town trying to remake itself in the 21 st century economy. It is Maine’s second largest city (pop. 36,000), and one that has welcomed immigrants, many of them from East Africa, in recent years. One from this community, Mana Abdi, was just elected to the state legislature. It is also the site of one of the great small colleges in the US, Bates College.
The manhunt and sad end of Robert R. Card II, the mass murderer of 18 people, has been widely reported. Maine had been relatively free from this type of violence until now. Card’s case raises some questions that need answers. Why does a civilian need an assault rifle? How did a person with a history of mental illness have access to one? Why is the Dept. of Veterans Affairs not permitted to report mental illness to the federal firearms background check system? Why do military, ex-military, and reservists seem to get a pass on regulations that apply to the rest of us? Why do both US Senators from Maine oppose an assault weapons ban?
And, finally, congratulations to US Rep. Jared Golden, whom the Lewiston tragedy has convinced to support a ban on assault rifles.
Source: The NY Times, 10/29/23